After finishing the conversation with Lang Yan, Mo Shangjun arrived at the dormitory safe and sound.
Lin Qi had just finished hanging up the laundry and came in from the balcony to see her, gave her a cold look, then climbed up to the top bunk to sleep.
Glancing at her, Mo Shangjun was holding a change of camouflage clothing in one hand and lifted her right hand to knock on Lin Qi’s bed.
“What are you doing?”
Lin Qi, who was leaning against the wall on her side, rolled over and looked at her with a chilly gaze.
“Squad leader Lin,” Mo Shangjun called out slowly and deliberately.
Lin Qi’s eyes darkened.
“I remember you.”
Mo Shangjun said lightly, and before Lin Qi could react with surprise, Mo Shangjun had already walked toward the balcony.
However, just as the balcony door closed, a casually spoken voice suddenly drifted over, “Too impetuous, not good.”
Lin Qi was slightly stunned and after a brief pause, annoyance flickered across her eyes.
Actually, it wasn’t as Lin Qi thought, that Mo Shangjun intentionally pretended not to remember her.
In fact, Mo Shangjun indeed did not remember her at all; it was only after seeing the figure practicing extra in the evening that she felt a sense of familiarity.
After calling a friend to ask about it, she then remembered that there seemed to be such a person.
Mo Shangjun had an impression of Lin Qi from when she liked to get up early to run a few laps during her freshman year.
At that time, she encountered someone who, after being surpassed by her once, seemed to compete earnestly with her, making an effort every day to outrun her.
As for her, she also quite liked to be contrary, getting up earlier each time, just so that the person could not outrun her.
After running for a while, Mo Shangjun stopped and consequently forgot about that person.
Even now, she only remembered that the incident happened.
As for whether she had met her afterward, she truly had no memory of it.
That evening, having remembered that the person should be Lin Qi, she confirmed it with a friend over the phone, and indeed, she was right.
Mo Shangjun went to sleep after her shower, but Lin Qi, with resentment boiling within her, could not find sleep.
*
The next day’s morning training, Mo Shangjun was still waiting for them on the training ground ahead of time.
However, that morning, Mo Shangjun did not train them the first thing.
“Rookies, fall in.”
Fiddling with the whistle in her hand, Mo Shangjun’s voice was clear and decisive.
The rookies’ hearts instinctively tensed, but they promptly stood out as ordered.
“Follow me, everyone else continues with the usual training.”
“Yes!”
The veterans responded with a resounding and powerful affirmation.
Putting the whistle in her pocket, Mo Shangjun faced the bitterly cold wind and led the way to the edge of the training field.
The voices behind her, from start to finish, were uniformly paced, their footsteps extremely standard, beyond reproach.
“Do you know why I’ve summoned you?”
“Report, no, sir!”
Eighteen rookies shouted in unison.
So much for a peaceful early morning for her ears.
“Regarding yesterday’s ideological work,” Mo Shangjun spread her hands helplessly, “it seems it was not completed.”
“Report!”
Xiang Yongming called out suddenly.
Mo Shangjun looked at him, “Speak.”
“You have already completed it, we fully trust your capabilities, standing from your height, you are now simply holding us to a very low standard, it’s all our fault, we should not have any grievances!” Xiang Yongming spoke righteously, yet his tone was brimming with hostility.
Although they had to acknowledge Mo Shangjun’s capabilities, capability did not equate to character, and not many were willing to submit to Mo Shangjun.
To elevate Mo Shangjun so high, in the end, was just sarcasm.
Regrettably, it was meaningless sarcasm.
“If you feel that measuring you by my standards is to criticize you…
I’m sorry, I overestimated you,” Mo Shangjun stood with her hands behind her back, her languid demeanor revealing a touch of sharpness, “But one thing I must tell you, if you can’t even reach my level, then you don’t even qualify to become scouts of the Reconnaissance Camp.”
“…”
Xiang Yongming was slightly taken aback.
The other rookies exchanged puzzled looks as well.
What Mo Shangjun said was not a lie, nor was it to scare them.
The capabilities she exhibited were what she perceived a scout should possess, and the reason this group was completely outclassed by her was not because she was too strong, but because they fell short of what it meant to be a true reconnaissance soldier—
There’s still a long way to go!
Mo Shangjun never underestimated herself, she knew what she had—connections, resources, prospects…
she was aware of it all.
Many people here, perhaps a lot of people, might never possess what she currently had in their entire lives.
They became her soldiers, and that was fate, so she tried her best to lend a hand.
But whether these people were willing or not was their business, she was not one to coerce anyone.
“Report!”
As the new recruits were lost in thought, Xiang Yongming shouted again.
“Speak.” Mo Shangjun’s voice was still tinged with a chill.
“Those veterans, they weren’t this formidable,” Xiang Yongming said carefully.
If they weren’t considered real reconnaissance soldiers, then what about those veterans who stayed behind?
They were just as much under Mo Shangjun’s iron grip!
“Heh,” Mo Shangjun let out a mocking laugh, “Haven’t you heard that the second platoon is the bottom one in Reconnaissance Camp?”
“…”
The crowd couldn’t help but feel shocked.
They simply didn’t know.
They had only been here for two days— the only people they had contact with were from the second platoon, who naturally, wouldn’t tell them these embarrassing stories.
“Got anything else to say?”
Speaking lazily, Mo Shangjun this time directed her gaze straight at Xiang Yongming.
“Report, no!”
Xiang Yongming stood up straight, his words definitive.
“Return to ranks!”
Mo Shangjun issued the command succinctly.
“Yes!”
With a roar, his voice was loud and clear, piercing the sky.
The morning training today was still led by Mo Shangjun, with everyone in the platoon gritting their teeth and following her, not uttering a single complaint.
Mo Shangjun had indeed dealt them a significant blow.
New recruits and veterans alike, all had experienced her toughness.
If they couldn’t even surpass a woman, what dignity did they have to stay in the reconnaissance platoon?!
Moreover, Mo Shangjun made them clearly realize just how far they were from being a qualified reconnaissance soldier.
The new recruits were ignorant and did not know what the exact standards were, whereas the veterans had become numb to failure.
The moment they accepted that they were losers was the most terrifying.
Those who pressed forward after failure were fearless; those who reflected on themselves were clever; but those who started to get accustomed to failure were spineless.
This was the prevailing atmosphere in the second platoon.
To get them excited was hard with gentle persuasion— it was far more effective to strike hard.
After breakfast, Mo Shangjun disappeared.
The leaders of the training were still the three platoon leaders.
However, not long after the morning training began, Lang Yan, their company commander who rarely loitered around, suddenly appeared on the training field.
“Lin Qi, Lai Liang!”
As soon as he took his position, attracting the attention of the whole platoon, Lang Yan called out two names.
“Present!”
“Present!”
The two company commanders, standing in different positions organizing the troops, responded in unison.
Lang Yan raised his eyebrows at them, “Come here.”
In the middle of many questioning gazes, both hurried over.
“Commander, what’s the matter?”
As they reached him, Lai Liang asked.
“I have a task for both of you,” Lang Yan said in a lowered voice, glancing around suspiciously.
“Speak, commander,” Lai Liang said, with no guard up.
Lin Qi, being more vigilant, couldn’t help but become suspicious.
Lang Yan gestured for them to come closer.
Both stepped closer quietly.